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Imagine enjoying the benefits of a sauna without leaving your home—or stripping down in front of strangers. The Currentbody Infrared Sauna Blanket promises all that and more.

 

 

Going to the sauna claims several health and wellbeing benefits and is often used by athletes as part of their recovery program. Here in Germany there are quite a few public options available, but I understand that isn’t the case everywhere. And not everyone is comfortable sitting naked next to complete strangers for a 15-minute sweating session.

And while I, as a German, grew up with public saunas and love going there, I was more than excited to try the blanket. Even though, little spoiler right at the start, it will not make you lose weight—despite the “burn up to 600 calories in 1 hour as you relax” claim on the website. So if you are curious what it can and cannot do and how infrared saunas actually work, keep reading!

 

 

What the Currentbody Home Infrared Sauna Blanket claims

Burn calories and reduce stress at home with infrared heat therapy:

• Burn up to 600 calories in 1 hour as you relax (No, that won’t work)
• Relieve stress, elevate mood and improve sleep
• Promote post-workout recovery
• Full body detox (Unlikely – your liver and kidneys do the detoxing and they aren’t affected by the blanket)
• Portable sauna —anytime, anywhere

 

Facts about the Currentbody Home Infrared Sauna Blanket

Prize and size

The Currentbody Home Infrared Sauna Blanket is available for 699 € on the website here.

In the package – be warned, it is huge and heavy – is included the blanket itself, a towel inlay, a small pillow for the head, the controller and a storage bag. It might be me, but I struggle to get the blanket into the bag after using it, which is why I kept the box for storage.

 

 

How to use the Currentbody Home Infrared Sauna Blanket

Currentbody recommends using the blanket 3 times a week and either for 30 minutes at a high temperature for post workout recovery or for 50 minutes on a lower temperature to relax and improve quality of sleep.

The blanket needs to be placed on a flat surface. Floor would work, but would be quite uncomfortable over time and couch, at least in my home, was a little small (despite fitting the four of us comfortably for movie night), so I ended up putting it on my bed most of the time. You open it up, insert the towel inlay and then either change into loose fitting clothes or into nothing at all and slip in. Anything metal – think jewelry – should be removed prior to using it and you should be well hydrated as you will sweat.

There is an on/off button on the controller as well as arrows to adjust the time (30-60 minutes) and temperature (30 to 75 °C).

For me, 30 minutes at 60 °C was the most comfortable setting, making me break a sweat, but not feeling overheated. As this is very personal, trust your body here.

And then you wait. Or watch tv, listen to music or meditate. I tried meditating, but always fell asleep when doing it, which is not a problem as the device will turn off after the set time frame anyway. I never slept for long though as it does get quite warm over time and the blanket is heavy, feeling like one of these weighted blankets that were all the rage a while ago. I absolutely detest the feeling of anything weighing on my legs when I sleep, so it isn’t for me, but I understand by their popularity that it might be something people actively look for.

After you finished, you remove the towel inlay, wipe down the surface that might have come in contact with sweat and then put it away for storage. And then drink some water, take a quick shower and crash into bed for a good nights sleep.

 

 

Technical stats

To understand how it works, we need to take a short excursion into infrared radiation. It is a subdivision of the electromagnetic spectrum divided into three categories: Near-Infrared or IR-A, Mid-Infrared or IR-B and Far Infrared or IR-C.

Far infrared creates heat in the body, but is not visible to the human eye and is the one that has been evaluated for potential health benefits. It ranges from 3 to 100 μm and is the one used in this blanket – 4-16 μm wave length according to the manual.

 

 

Data behind infrared therapy

When I say evaluated for potential health benefits, that might sound as if there are a ton of studies available. There are not.

What we do know is that sauna in general and infrared in particular have been used historically for different, often inflammatory conditions and that there have been some studies looking into its mechanism on cells. Generally speaking the effect seems to be related to the one of Low Level Light Therapy, but targeting different structures, in case of the infrared treatments most likely water. (More info: The benefits of LED in skincare explained) The heat generated leads to increased blood flow which in animal studies helped with muscle tension and wound healing and in one small study done on rabbits, also with reducing inflammation in their joints.

In humans studies done with sauna in general, not with infrared specifically, there were pointers that it might be beneficial with a variety of conditions like high blood pressure, dementia, headache, diabetes and arthritis, but for all of those larger and more exact studies would be needed.

Regarding the weight loss claims I could only find one study in which women were wearing a near infrared belt for 8 hours a day during a period of 30 days. After these 30 days, they showed a small reduction in body measurements in the area where the belt was worn – which I assume is more likely due to the increased blood flow and not explained by burning more calories. If you lose weight with using it, that is due to the sweating.

Summarized: While research is limited, saunas (traditional and infrared) have shown potential for improving blood flow and easing muscle tension. They also have no adverse effect on the body either with the exception of certain conditions like badly controlled cardiac problems – always talk to your health care provider if you are unsure.

Rosacea sufferers also need to approach with caution, as in some people the overheating of the skin can cause a flare. (More info: Skincare tips for Rosacea)

 

 

My final thoughts

Even though the claims on the website are ambitious: Burn up to 600 calories per hour for example, the data simply isn’t there to robustly support any health benefits from using a Infrared Sauna Blanket like the one from Currentbody. However, I love using it, especially for post workout recovery and unwinding before bed. My only complaint would be the size and weight that make it challenging to store in smaller spaces. Other than that it is easy and comfortable to use and has become a staple in my weekly routine.

 

 

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